Ball Man Arrested for Bicycle Theft

Just after midnight on April 11th, Sheriff’s dispatch received a call from the Avoyelles Sheriff’s Office in reference to assisting a recently released offender in getting to their residence in Ball. This is a courtesy agencies sometimes do when there is no one else to give the offender a ride.

The Avoyelles deputy arrived on LA Highway 107 at the parish line and dropped off the offender, identified as Johnathan Curtis Bentley, 29 of Ball, to wait on the Rapides deputy to pick him up and get him to his residence. The Rapides deputy was given a description of Bentley and what he was wearing and that Bentley would be waiting at the line on LA Highway 107.

As the Rapides deputy was on his way to give Bentley a ride, he saw a subject fitting Bentleys description, but he was riding a bicycle on the shoulder of the road. When the deputy questioned dispatch about the subject riding a bicycle down LA H107 at 12:30 at night, they advised knew nothing about the subject on a bicycle. When the deputy made contact with Bentley, it was discovered as Bentley was walking, he allegedly saw a bicycle in a yard and helped himself to it. He told the deputy he “was tired of waiting on him and tired of walking.”

Through his investigation, the deputy determined where the bicycle came from and it was returned to the owner. As the owners were asleep, they were unaware the bicycle was stolen.

Bentley was placed under arrest for criminal trespassing and theft < $750. He was transported and booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center and was released earlier today on a $1,000.00 bond.